allchgo.com

5 targets for the Bulls in Free Agency

Upgrade Your Fandom

Join the Ultimate Chicago Bulls Community FOR JUST $36!

Will Gottlieb Avatar

The Bulls could look to add some nice depth pieces in free agency

Free Agency kicks off at 5 pm central on Monday, opening the door for the NBA’s annual rush of madness.

After surprisingly trading Lonzo Ball-for-Isaac Okoro, and drafting Noa Essengue, the Chicago Bulls have 13 players under contract going into next season with two available roster spots.

Presumably, one of those roster spots will be used to retain Josh Giddey on some number, ideally below $25 million annually.

That leaves one roster spot open for the Bulls to sign a free agent, unless they make further moves to consolidate spots.

Assuming a $25 million starting salary for Giddey (slotted in his cap hold for this exercise), the Bulls are an above-the-cap team. But have no fear! The Bulls have just under $22.5 million of space before their self-imposed hard cap at the luxury tax line. This means offers to non-bird free agents cannot exceed the full mid-level extension (MLE), which is $14.1 million for the upcoming season, but that they can safely do so without crossing the tax line.

Screen Shot 2025 06 29 at 10.44.22 PM

Another key number to know is the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is set at $5.2 million. Given that many contending teams are in the luxury tax, the Bulls could beat them out by offering part or all of the full MLE. They can break the MLE into multiple pieces, but would need to clear roster spots in order to do so.

Don't like ads?

To create another roster spot, they could send out two-for-one in a trade. Additionally, they could waive **Jevon Carter**‘s $6.8 million. It would sting to pay someone not to be here, but allow the Bulls to go after multiple names in free agency.

The Bulls have spoken about their plan of financial flexibility during the summer of 2026, when $84.7 million is set to come off the books, including Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. If they keep that space open, they could make a big splash while retaining some of their key pieces. Still, they have the mobility to add a player or two this summer that won’t break the bank.

Here are five names to watch in free agency.

Tre Jones

The Bulls seem zeroed in on retaining Tre Jones, who had a strong stretch of play before losing the final 12 games of the regular season with a midfoot sprain.

Jones shot a career-best 57.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three with the Bulls last season, averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 assists. He was a pesky defender who helped push the tempo and is generally a mistake-free player.

It may not be advisable to spend the full mid-level on a fourth guard, but the Bulls front office likes Jones, who thrived in their system and would help bring along some of the young play finishers on their roster — Matas Buzelis, Essengue — with his ability to set the table.

Don't like ads?

To beat out other offers, the Bulls may have to give Jones closer to eight figures, but if they can get him on a one-year deal around the taxpayer mid-level ($5.7 million) using his bird rights, maybe a second-year with a team option, they could maintain their future flexibility and gain a valuable trade chip. Keeping the deal short term would allow them to retain control of their cap space in 2026.

Day’Ron Sharpe

The Brooklyn Nets declined to tender Sharpe his qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Still just 23 years of age, Sharpe would be a smart second-draft target for the Bulls who have yet to find their long-term solution at center.

His qualifying offer of just below $6 million would set the floor for his offers, but he could be looking anywhere upwards of the full mid-level extension. While the Bulls would have to do some surgery to their roster to justify giving another big that much, Sharpe would be a future-oriented signing that could extend beyond next season when Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins’ contracts expire.

Sharpe has been a per-minute monster in Brooklyn, with a 2.3 steal rate, 4.6 block rate, and 20.7 rebounding rate last season. He’s mobile and athletic enough to defend in multiple schemes and could be a great fit behind Giddey and the Bulls young core. Though he doesn’t currently possess the shooting element the Bulls may be looking for in a big man, he averaged a career-best five assists per 100 possessions last season, just a tick below Nikola Vucevic. He may be able to grow into a role where he could replicate some of the facilitating Vucevic has excelled doing from the elbows and top-of-the-key.

DeAndre Ayton

He’s still young, 26, and has experience in the NBA Finals, and is now a free agent after surprisingly getting bought of his $35.5 million contract from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ayton is surely a talented player who has soft touch around the rim and mid-range and rebounds at a high-level. In 30.2 minutes per game last season, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds on 56.6 percent shooting over 40 games.

Don't like ads?

The Bulls need to find ways to infuse the roster with talent, so Ayton could be just that. Because of the timing of this buyout, even second apron teams can offer him the full mid-level after he clears waivers Wednesday night.

Jake LaRavia

After the Memphis Grizzlies declined to pick up LaRavia’s team option last season, it triggered a rule that prevented them from offering him more than $5.2 million. The Grizzlies traded him to the Sacramento Kings at the deadline, who are now in the same predicament.

LaRavia shot 42.3 percent on three-pointers from the power forward position last season on lower volume than previous season — 3.8 attempts per 36 minutes compared to 6.2 as a rookie and 7.0 in his sophomore season. At 6’8, he spaces the floor well, but also has the ability to attack closeouts, make plays off-the-bounce and facilitate. He’s average defensively, but would function well in the Bulls system, and give them another sub-24 year-old to insert into their retooling roster.

As one of the few young wings who can shoot on the market, he may have options, but an offer above the tax-MLE could tempt him away from the Kings.

Jonathan Kuminga

While this list was primarily supposed to identify unrestricted free agents the Bulls could sign, Golden State Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga has been at the center of many trade rumors, and would a possible option in a sign-and-trade.

The deal would be complicated to pull off. A big payday would trigger the Base Year compensation rule, which means whatever deal Kuminga signs would count at full price for the Bulls, but only half of it would be allowed to come back in a deal with the Warriors. For example, if Kuminga signs a deal that starts at $25 million annually, he will count as $25 million on the Bulls cap sheet, but the Warriors would only be able to take back $12.5 million.

Don't like ads?

That all but rules out Nikola Vucevic, previously a trade target of the Warriors, as the return for Golden State, as the minimum Kuminga would be able to sign for to make the deal legal would be $35.8 million, which is above his market value and too high a risk for the Bulls.

Instead, the Warriors may target Coby White, whose $12.8 million salary would be much more easily transferable. The Bulls could also send back a player into the Warriors $8.7 million trade exception, would would allow the Bulls to add value by side-stepping the base year roadblocks. Maybe sending Carter into the exception helps balance the trade, because White is more valuable than Kuminga in a vacuum.

That would be a hefty price to pay for Kuminga, who comes with fit questions. His talent is undeniable, and his athleticism could make him a threat in the Bulls offense. But having traded for Okoro and drafted Essengue, the Bulls would be committing to too many non-shooters.

Other Young Options

Santi Aldama (RFA): Dribble-pass-shoot big who isn’t a full-time five, but allows for lineup flexibility.

Talen Horton-Tucker: Impressed in a bench scoring role last season in Chicago.

Quentin Grimes (RFA): will likely command more than the MLE, but would be a good get.

Josh Minott: Talented defensive four who just became an unrestricted free agent.

Tristan Vukcevic (RFA): Stretch five. No relation.

Jabari Walker (RFA): Young 3-and-D 3/4 who could add some nice depth.

Dom Barlowe: Another versatile depth big. More likely a two-way option.

Older Vets/Less realistic options

Nickeil Alexander-Walker: He would be the best get on the market, but should command more than the MLE.

Dorian Finney-Smith: Will likely return to LA after opting out of his contract, but a good 3-and-D wing helps everyone.

Brook Lopez: If the Bulls were going full-steam for the Playoffs, Lopez would add spacing and rim protection that would solve a lot of the Bulls problems.

Clint Capela: The Bulls won’t have the role to outcompete other teams for the rim rolling, rim protecting presence.

Al Horford: Like DFS, another former Billy Donovan Gator, who will likely go ring chasing if he does leave Boston.

Get Chicago's Best Sports Content In Your Inbox!Become a smarter Chicago sports fan with the latest game recaps, analysis and exclusive content from CHGO’s writers and podcasters!